The 1-0 victory against Real Sociedad on Thursday ensured Manchester United‘s progression to the UEFA Europa League Playoff Round. Even though they celebrated a win, nevertheless, the Red Devils had to settle for the second position, withReal Sociedad finishing first in Group E due to a better goal differential.
At the end of Matchday 6, both sides had 15 points. After advancing from their group, Real Sociedad will now play in the Europa League’s Round of 16. Erik ten Hag’s players, who finished second in their group, however, will have to play in a playoff round before advancing to the last 16.
Only the teams who placed second in their respective UELgroups will advance to the playoffs, where they will meet with the clubs that finished third in theChampions League Group Stage.Group winners in the UEFA Europa League go directly to the round of 16, eliminating the need to worry about European competition until March 9.
UEFA Europa League Playoff Round: Least and most likelyopponents for Manchester United
Since the Knockout Stage is scheduled for February16and 23, Manchester United will have two more games to accommodate into their already packed schedule. However, theirjourney to the finals might be challenging if Erik ten Hag‘s squad is pitted against a powerhouse like Barcelona or Juventus.
The draw will take place in UEFA’s headquarters in Switzerland on Monday, November 7, and it just hasoneunique requirement.The sole limitation is that teams from the same nation cannot be pitted against one another.
Considering the fact that there is no other English team in the Europa League,there is a sizable pool offeasible opponents they may be able to get drawn with.Thus, next week, it will be known who of Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona, Sporting, Salzburg, Shakhtar, Sevilla, or Juventus, Unitedwill play in the playoff round.
A supercomputer, via Reddit, has predicted that theRed Devils will most likely end up meeting Cristiano Ronaldo’s former sideJuventus, BayerLeverkusen, or Erik ten Hag’s ex-club Ajax,as each three of them havethehighest 13.68percent chance. The remaining five possibleadversaries such as Barcelona, Sporting, Salzburg, Sevilla, and Shakhtar, all have an 11.79 percent probability of meeting the Old Trafford outfit in the next round.
